Chapter 28
Maxime
Aurora's blood sticks to my forearm. On the rolled-up sleeve of my black shirt, the white suspenders, and on my chest, which is exposed due to the deep neckline of the dance shirt.
But that's not what matters.
Nothing is more important than the woman lying next to me in the ambulance. The sirens wail, and through the windows, I see the blue flashing light darting over the walls of the buildings we pass in a hurry. Despite the jolting ride, the paramedic skillfully inserts an IV in Aurora's hand.
Worried, I look into her face. Her eyelids flutter now and then, she moans softly, and her fingers twitch. She's covered from the chest down, but I know what lies beneath.
Even more blood.
I have to be strong now. For her. Yet I can barely control my voice. "We'll get through this," I say, stroking her forearm nervously.
I have no idea if she can even hear me. Maybe I'm just talking to myself, trying to hold myself together. But a glance at the paramedic is enough to know what he's thinking. With his lips pressed tightly together, he looks at me and subtly shakes his head.
No.
No, no, no.
He can't possibly know. And anyway, this isn't real. It's not really happening; it's just a bad dream. Nothing more. I'll wake up soon and realize that everything is fine.
The ambulance comes to a stop, and the doors are flung open. Aurora is wheeled out on her stretcher. The paramedic jumps out of the vehicle and holds the IV bag high while two nurses in blue hospital gowns take over.
I make sure to follow. I almost trip over my own feet, which no longer seem to obey me. I stumble, catch myself, and rush on.
When Aurora is pushed through the large double doors at the entrance, I catch up to her.
"Where are you taking her? What happens now?" The questions burst out of me, but the nurses hardly pay attention.
A doctor joins them, pulling a stethoscope from her coat and getting a rundown of information from the paramedic, which I don't understand.
Helplessly, I walk alongside the group, alternating my gaze between Aurora's pained face and the hospital staff.
"Please, tell me what's going on!" I plead with them even though a part of me doesn't want to hear bad news. It might be rude, but I seize the opportunity to grab the doctor's upper arm. "What's wrong with my girlfriend?" I ask with intensity.
She studies me with her deep-brown eyes. Then she nods toward the row of chairs in the hallway. "Wait here. I'll come to you once we know more."
I won't do that. "I'm staying with her."
"Impossible." She barely finishes the word before turning to the nurses. "Full blood work and prepare for an ultrasound."
No one pays attention to me. Despite the doctor's instructions, I continue walking down the hallway until I reach the treatment room, whose door opens automatically at the push of a button.The nurses wheel Aurora's stretcher into the white-tiled room. The neon lights blind me as the doctor turns to face me, blocking my way.
"Be reasonable and let us do our work," she says firmly, looking at me intently. "Believe me, we're doing everything we can. But for that, we need peace."
And they won't have that if I'm present. Everything in me rebels against leaving Aurora alone.
It would be the right thing to do. I know that. Still, I can barely bear the feeling of helplessness as I take a step back and watch the door close in front of me.
Disoriented, I stumble back down the hallway to the waiting area the doctor showed me earlier and I sink onto one of the white plastic chairs, only to immediately jump back up.
How could I sit still while who knows what is happening in that treatment room?
What if...
No, I don't even want to think about it.
